Deception: A DGray Man Fan Fiction
by LunarLotus123
Summary: Mei is an exorcist that has gone through many hardships. This is her story.
1. Sorrow

It was raining.

The stone streets outside were covered in puddles all over.

Parading through the dank damp streets was a funeral.

Several middle-aged men carried a coffin hat looked like it could hold a young teen.

Another man, his skin pale dark curls showing from under his top hat and his gray eyes filled with sadness, was escorting a young woman.

She had dark blue hair that hung down to her waist, bright red eyes, and wearing a long black dress. Both of them were grieving at their loss.

As the rain fell harder, he group made their way to the cemetery where a grave had already been dug for the caskets inhabitant.

A priest stood there, an altar boy holding an umbrella over his head, "My dear friends. Today, we say goodbye to a beloved friend. To some, a sister, to another, a lover, a daughter. When Rosa DeDelor came into this world, her mother and father were overjoyed to have them bless their lives. She grew up like any other child would, she was schooled, she played, and she made friends. After many years, she met Damion Roberts, the love of her life. They lived in London happily. Soon, their friend Mei Lee moved in with them. Sadly, one week before their wedding, Rosa suffered a terrible accident. Rosa, when you left this world, you left behind many things. But we can only pray that you'll be taken into God's arms generously. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

As the priest finished the eulogy, Rosa's coffin was gently lowered to it's final resting place.

Mei tried to stifle a sob and buried her face into Damion's chest.

Damion did her best to calm her, but it was to no avail.

After the funeral was over, Mei knelt by Rosa's grave while Damion held an umbrella over her to keep her from getting to drenched.

Mei placed a hand gently on the gravestone, "Rosa . . .we'll never forget you . . ."

"Mei, we'd better go," Damion said quietly placing a hand on her shoulder.

Mei ignored him and slammed her fist into the headstone, "WHY'D THEY TAKE HER FROM US DAMMIT!?!?!?!"

She continued to sob and scream at no one, demanding to know why their friend was taken.

Damion set the umbrella against her shoulder and left.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!


	2. Fear

After a little while of being alone, Mei noticed a large shadow appear beside her, "Oh my, what a tragedy. Poor Rosa. She must've been a wonderful friend."

Looking up, the blue haired girl saw a strange man with a tan suit, large top hat, and a big grin on his face, "Who're you?"

"I'm someone who can help you," the man replied as a strange skeleton like form appeared beside him, "I can bring her back to you."

Mei stood up and stepped forward, almost unbelieving of what she saw.

"All you have to do is call out to her," he replied stepping to the side.

A relieved smile came to the teens face, "R. . .Rosa?"

The skeleton shuddered a bit then came to life, "Mei? Is that you? Where am I?"

The skeleton sounded just like Rosa, which lifted Mei's heart a bit, "Yes Rosa, it's me."

The skeleton trembled a bit and looked at it's hands, "An. . .akuma? YOU TURNED ME INTO AN AKUMA!!? WHY!!"

This threw Mei for a loop as she staggered back but the man stopped her, "Now Rosa, do as I say. Kill Mei and take her skin."

The akuma staggered forward reluctantly and went to kill Mei.

Mei cried out and threw her hands up in front of her.

As she did a strange red crystal covered her arms, stopping the akuma's attack, "Huh? What. . ."

The man just sighed, "Innocence. What a shame."

As he disappeared, the akuma looked up at Mei, "Please. . .kill me. . .'

This horrified Mei beyond belief, "What!?"

"JUST KILL ME DAMMIT!!"

Mei stepped back, but the crystal on her arms started to form a strange blade, "NO!! Don't hurt her!! ROSA!!"

Mei screamed for her hand to stop but it flew forward and destroyed the akuma.

Mei stared at the dissolving skeleton, horror gripping the very being within her.

The skeleton smiled at her, "Thank you. . .my friend."

She then jumped up and began running, where to, she didn't know.

She stopped outside of an old inn where she tripped over a loose cobblestone.

She lay there for a minute before she blacked out.

Yes, more continuations.


	3. Family

A few hours later she woke up in a small bed, her hands were bandaged as well as a few spots on her arms and legs.

She looked around cautiously as she tried to stand up.

Unfortunately, her legs were still shakey from all her running earlier and she fell against the wall, "W-Where am I?"

"I wouldn't move around too much. You're still recuperating."

It was a man, he was wearing a white uniform, glasses, a beret, and had blue-black hair.

Mei turned around and froze. "K. . .Koumui? Is that really you?"

The man smiled a bit and walked over to her, "Hey lil sis, long time no see."

Mei stared up at her brother for a minute, then embraced him, tears of joys falling from her cheeks, "I thought I'd never see you again!

There was a silent moment as the siblings embraced each other, then Koumui helped her back to the bed, "It's good to see you too Mei."

Mei sat there as Koumui checked her bandages and such, remembering the last time she saw him and her little sister. "Koumui. . .have you heard from Linalee?"

"Yeah," he replied taking a bandage off of her knee, "She's here too."

Mei tried her hardest not to cry, "She is? Is she okay?"

Koumui simply nodded and finished removing the bandages from her arms, then he went to the door, "Ask her yourself."

He opened the door and Linalee stood there with a big smile on her face, "Mei!"

Mei was about to say something when her younger sister ran over and tackled her to the bed.

The three siblings then began to catch up with each other, after they had been separated for so long.

Koumui then turned to Mei, "So, why were you running?"

The blue haired girl paused, then looked down at the floor, "A friend of mine passed away yesterday. Her funeral was today. I stayed after the funeral to be with her. I was approached by a strange man in a top hat. He told me he could bring her back. I believed him. She came back as. . .something else. He ordered her to kill me, but something happened and she couldn't. Whatever blocked her from killing me, also destroyed her."

As she explained the events from earlier, Mei pulled her knees to her chest, a few tears rolled down her cheek.

Koumui listened intently, but said nothing out of fear of offending her.

Linalee though, had many questions, "You mean you created an akuma? You saw the Earl!?"

"Linalee," Koumui said quietly placing a hand on his younger sisters shoulder, "Don't you have training soon?"

Linalee simply nodded and left.

Koumui watched her leave, then sat down beside Mei, "Are you going to be alright?"

Mei nodded, but her older brother knew better. "I hope you know you're lucky. Most people who meet The Millennium earl, aren't so lucky. When I dressed your wounds, I noticed you didn't sustain hardly any injuries save for a few cuts and bruises. Your innocence saved you."

Mei looked confused, "I-Innocence? What's that?"

"It's a substance that destroys akuma. It's used by exorcists. Innocence can take just about any form. Linalee's are her boots, yours is the gem embedded in your chest," he explained before standing up, "Oh, there's a change of clothes for you on the table there."

Mei looked over at the side table and saw some folded up garments, "Oh well, anything is better than a torn up funeral dress."

She slipped off her black dress and put on the strange outfit.

To her surprise, it was a black uniform, "Huh? Odd. . .maybe it's all that was clean."

She then noticed that there was a pair of shorts, a skirt, and a pair of pants there, "Huh? Oooookay then. . ."

She sighed and grabbed the shorts, but put them back and grabbed the pants instead.

Once she was dressed, Mei walked over to a mirror, "Hm, it looks okay I guess."

She then noticed a couple of black ribbons on the dresser and a note that simply said, 'For you. Love, Linalee."

Mei smiled to her self and tied her hair up into a twisted bun.

Once she figured she looked presentable, she cautiously stepped out of her room.

To be continued once more! Muahahahaha!


	4. Innocence

The hallway was dimly lit, no one seemed to be out either.

She then slowly began to wander the dark halls. 

_Dammit big brother, why couldn't you give me a map or something?_

She continued to wander aimlessly, hoping to find her brother or someone who could help her.

As she rounded the corner, she accidentally collided with a blond guy carrying a HUGE stack of paperwork.

The papers went flying as the two hit the ground.

The blonde guy groaned a bit and looked over, "Hey, you okay?"

Mei looked up, blushing in embarrassment, "Y. . .yeah. Sorry about that. . ."

She then began to help him gather up the various papers, "So. . .what's your name?"

"Huh? Oh, my names Reever," he replied grabbing a few papers that had yet to hit the floor, "I work for the science department."

Mei chuckled a bit as he scrambled for the papers behind him, "Nice to meet you Reever, my name's Mei, Mei Lee."

Reever paused as he heard this, "Wait. . .Mei Lee? Like Koumui Lee?"

"Yeah, he's my older brother, why?" she asked curiously.

This caused Reever to freeze for a moment, then he quickly gathered up the rest of the papers, "I see, in that case perhaps I should be on my way!"

Mei looked confused, then sighed, "Hold on!"

She took part of the stack of paperwork and chuckled, "That's way too much for one person to carry."

"You really don't have to-"

Reever was cut off by Mei poking him playfully in the forehead, "Don't worry! It's no problem really."

Seeing as how she wouldn't give up, Reever asked her to follow him.

They walked silently down the hall.

After a few minutes of silence, Mei spoke up, "So. . .what is this place?"

"You weren't told? This is the Black Order. We collect Innocence and fight Akuma," he explained opening a door to what looked like a library, "So are you an exorcist?"

"Huh? No," Mei replied sounding confused, "My brother gave this outfit to me cause my other one was trashed."

"I see," Reever replied setting his stack on a desk, then he took Mei's and placed it beside the other one, "Well, either way, welcome to The Black Order."

"Oh, t-thank you," she replied sounding surprised, "Listen, do you know where my brother is? I need to ask him something."

"Hold on. . ." Reever replied walking over to another desk.

Low and behold, her brother was there, asleep.

Reever motioned for her to step back then got next to Koumui's ear, "Hey, did you hear? Linalee's getting married."

In the window of about five seconds, Koumui had jumped up and looked around for his sister, "LINALEE!! HOW COULD YOU GET MARRIED WITHOUT TELLING YOUR DEAR BIG BROTHER!!!!!?"

Mei stared in bewilderment at her brothers outburst, "Is he . . .always like this?"

"Sorry, it's the only way we can wake him up," Reever explained before he went back to Koumui, "Sir, your other sister needed to talk to you."

Koumui glanced at Mei, then chuckle, "Ah, Mei chan. How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Although, you have some explaining to do brother," Mei said quietly as Reever left them room.

"You mean about your Innocence? Come with me and I'll explain on the way," the older man replied leading his sister to the door.

Silently, Mei followed him, unsure of what he was going to show her. "Innocence is the substance that can destroy Akuma. Akuma are the creatures created by The Millennium Earl has created in order to find and destroy the Innocence. It is used by Exorcists to destroy the akuma and release the soul trapped within."

"The. .soul?" Me asked, unsure as to what he meant.

"Yes. Every akuma stated out as a human being," he explained helping her onto a strange platform.

Mei stepped gently down and tried her hardest to keep from being sick, "So that means that . . .Rosa . . ."

"Yes, she was an akuma," Koumui replied gravely stepping over to a control panel, "You see, we here at the Black order have been fighting the Earl for a long time now. Somehow he keeps getting stronger, creating Akuma at higher levels."

As Mei listened, she had the feeling that they weren't alone there, "Big brother? Where are we?"

Before he could answer, a strange being appeared above them, "Hello Koumui . . ."

Doom!! Contuing again. . .


	5. 50

"Hello Hevlaska, " he replied politely.

Mei cried out and staggered back, "What is that thing!!?!?"

"Do not be afraid. My name is Hevlaska. I am going to bond temporarily with your Innocence and see what your Invocation rate is, Mei."

As the figure spoke her name, Mei felt a strange calmness wash over her.

Before she realized it, Hevlaska was holding her above the platform, "What the he-"

"Do not panic. I am an ally," Hevlaska explained before placing what looked like her hand upon the gem embedded in the teens chest.

Mei felt a strange warmth coursing through her, "Wha. . ."

She closed her eyes and thought of what had happened with Rosa.

Instead of a blade, the gem started to cover her body.

Hevlaska sighed and uninvocated her innocence, "Do not fear."

Mei wanted to respond but her Innocence seemed to ignore her now.

After a minute, Hevlaska set her back down on the platform, "Her total Invocation rate is 50 percent."

After Hevlaska disappeared, Mei spun around and went to punch Koumui, "YOU JERK!!! YOU COULD'VE WARNED ME!!!"

Koumui instinctively brought his clipboard up to block it, "Sorry. Now back up we go!"

Seeing as how Koumui wasn't going to say anything else, Mei leaned against the rail as the platform rose back up to the higher levels.

Evil big bruver. . .TO BE CONTINUED!! DUN DUN DUN!!!


	6. Realization

When they got up, Mei was the first off and looked at Koumui, "Where's the damn exit?"

"What!? But you just-"

"I know!! I just can't handle this okay?" Mei snapped heading towards what she thought was the exit.

Koumui grabbed her shoulder, "Hold on! Can you at least give it a chance?"

"I JUST KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!!" Mei snapped spinning around to face her brother, "You think I can just forget it!?"

She then spun back around and accidentally collided with a boy about her age, "Watch it!"

The boy looked up, his hair was bright red and he had an eye patch over his right eye, "Sorry about that. You okay?"

Mei just rolled her eyes and hurried towards the exit.

"She's just adjusting Ravi. Give her time," Koumui explained watching his confused sister leaving.

Mei got outside and paused at the edge of the cliff.

She didn't stop because of the drop, but because she heard her sister calling to her.

"Mei!! WAIT!!" Linalee ran towards the older teen and embraced her, "Please don't leave. We're all together again. Why would you leave?"

Mei looked down at her, then hugged her back, "I'm sorry Linalee."

The sisters stood there for a minute, then Mei sighed, "So. . .you ready to head back?"

Linalee smiled big as her sister mentioned returning and led her back to the dark building.

When Mei stepped in this time, to her surprise, there was a large group of people there.

"Welcome t the family!"

Mei bit her lip trying not to cry and just smiled at them, "Thanks guys."

There was a celebration as Mei met the people who worked and resided at the Black order.

_This is what it's like right? To be wanted, to be loved? _"

Yes it is odd. Guess what!! TO BE CONTINUED!! (Betcha didn't see that one coming. XD)


	7. First Impression

"Just another snot nosed brat. Great."

A boy, no older than 16, stood against the wall glaring at Mei.

Mei turned around and mistook him for a girl, "Sorry miss. I didn't see you there."

There was a deathly silence as Mei uttered her comment.

The boy twitched in annoyance, then lunged at Mei, "Die you pest!!"

Without thinking, she ducked, barely dodging his blade, "Geez! What a temper."

She then grabbed his arm and pinned him to the floor, "Geez, got a problem?"

The boy growled in frustration and managed to get her off and attacked once more, "YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!!"

Once more she dodged the blade and covered her right hand in the crystal, "Don't piss me off please."

Ignoring her pleas, the boy continued to attack.

As he went in for the final blow, she grabbed his blade with the same hand she had just invocated, "You REALLY want to do that?"

"Kanda, this is Mei. She's the newest exorcist. Mei, this is Kanda. He's been here about three years," Koumui explained as Reever and Johnny pulled Kanda away and Ravi and Bookman grabbed Mei.

"Wait. . .he?" Mei asked in disbelief after the two men let go of her, "You're kidding right?"

Kanda glared angrily at her, but said nothing and left.

"Don't mind him. He can't take a joke very well," Koumui explained as he patted his sister on the back.

"But...I wasn't joking..." Mei muttered.

Brushing off the events, Mei continued to meet the Order's members and such.

The next day, the Order was buzzing with activity.

Mei stood back a ways to be safe.

"Koumui! We've found an innocence. It's in Madrid. Should we send-"

"Send out Kanda and Mei. He can show her the ropes," Koumui replied smiling a bit.

Within seconds, the room was filled with a dark bloodlust.

Everyone turned to Mei and Kanda to find them glaring darkly at each other, almost ready to come to blows.

"Well! Good luck you two! I'll see you when you get back!" Koumui called out as the two grudgingly left.

Toma, their finder, et out a sigh and followed the two exorcists.

* * *

Yes, I thought kanda was I first started reading the manga. It's hard to think of him as a guy. XDDD


	8. History

They boarded a train heading for Madrid and TRIED to get along.

After about an hour of silence, Toma spoke up, "So, Mei. Your brother is Koumui?"

"Yeah. He is," Mei replied putting on a pleasant smile.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you three get separated," the finder asked pulling out a deck of cards.

There was a quiet pause, then Mei turned her gaze to the window, "It was about 8 years ago. Linalee was still really young. Koumui took care of us because our parents passed way from illness. One day after Koumui came home, we got into an argument. . .I ran off after that. About two hours later I came home, and Linalee was gone. She had been taken by a bunch of people in black uniforms from what Koumui told me. After that, I became distant. I hardly ever spoke to my brother or anyone really. . ."

Toma listened intently, amazed at the hardships the teen had been through.

"Well. . .a few years after that, Koumui left as well. I began to feel like everything that had happened was my fault. Linalee being taken, my brother leaving, I felt as if the fight we had was the cause of it all. When Koumui left, I couldn't stay in China. I had to leave, hoping the pain would be gone. I stowed away on a ship headed to London, ready to make a new life. I had no money, so I lived on the streets for about 6 months. Then, one day, I met a man named Damion and his fiancé Rosa. They took me in, helped me straighten my life out. I had grown used to my new life, but the pain still dwelled in the back of my mind. I stayed with them for two years. One week before their wedding, Rosa had gone out to do some shopping. Damion was at work and I was cleaning the house. On her way home, Rosa was hit by a cart passing by. When she got to the hospital, it was too late. She was gone."

As Mei finished, she tightened her fists slightly, keeping her gaze focused on the passing by trees.

Toma sighed and put his cards away, "I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to bring up such painful memories."

"It's okay. You hae a right to know, since you're my traveling companion right?" she explained putting on a kind smile.

Kanda scoffed and stood up, "You don't know true suffering."

He then left before Mei could retotrt.

Mei just stared at him as he left, then returned her gaze to the window.

"Don't mind him Ms. Lee. He's always been cold to everyone," Toma explained trying to comfort the new exorcist.

Mei let out a sigh and turned back to Toma, "How long till we reach Madrid?"

"About half an hour," the finder replied watching the exorcist stand up.

"Alright. I need to stretch my legs," Mei muttered leaving the small room.

She walked to the back of the trin onto the platform there.

Her hair whipped around her face a bit from the wind, but she just stood there, thinking.

She lost track of the time, bcause half an hour later, Toma came out to get her, "Madam Exorcist, we're here."

Mei nodded and followed Toma off the train.

* * *

Yes, I is bein Emo. get over it.


	9. Pure Luck

Madrid was buzzing with commotion.

It was time for Carinvale and the whole city had come to life in the spirit of the festivities.

"It's beautiful," Mei exclaimed looking around at the vibrant city.

"It's just a city," Kanda muttered as he started walking.

Mei glared at him and started in an opposite direction.

Toma simply stood there looking confused, "Umm, Exorcists? Shouldn't we…never mind."

He then hurried to follow Kanda.

Mei simply began to wander around the town, taking in the sights, "Sooo…I wonder what this innocence thingy is…"

As she walked past a stall of masks, she saw a strange set of twins snickering at something, "Huh?"

Upon seeing her though, they simply took off running.

"I wonder who THEY were," Mei muttered staring in confusion.

She then began to wander again until she came to a small out of the way stall, "Huh? Weird…"

The blue haired girl looked at the few items there and picked up a small necklace.

The pendant had a black and silver pendant in the shape of a butterfly.

For some reason, it seemed to draw her in.

"Hello young lady. May I interest you in something?" a shady voice called out as a short man with light hair approaced her.

"This necklace…" Mei replied holding it up, "Where'd you find it?"

"An old traveler gave it to me. It's not worth much. Would you rather lok at-"

"I'll take it. How much?" the young exorcist said as she pulled her wallet out.

"It's just junk. But if you insist, you can give me 50 Pesetas for it," the shop keeper replied holding his hand out. 

_That's almost exactly what Toma gve me,_ she thought as she handed him the money.

"Thank you for doing buisiness with me, madama," he replied before leaving.

Mei took the necklace and hurried to the rendevous point.

To her surprise, Kanda was already there waiting, "Took ya long enough. What the hell were you doing?"

"I was searching for the innocence. I may have found it," Mei replied handing hm the necklace, "When I got near it, it was almost as if it were litterally calling for me."

"Okay? What makes this the possible innocence then?" the smaurai snapped.

Toma hurried over and looked at the necklace, "I think she may be right Kanda."

There was a brief silence, then Kanda spoke up, "She probablly got lucky!"

"What was that!?" Mei snapped glaring at Kanda.

"You heard me!" Kanda retorted clenching his fists, "YOU...GOT...LUCKY!!"

Before it came to blows, Toma stepped between them, "Perhaps we should take it back to the order."

Silently the two stormed off towards the train station.


	10. Score 1

The ride back to the black order was quiet as Kanda and Mei forced themselves not to look at one another.

Toma just stared at them, then went to playing with his deck of cards.

* * *

"NO WAY! THIS GUY HAS THE MARK OF THE EARL! HE AIN'T COMIN I HERE!"

The gate keeper was screaming bloody murder as a young silver haired boy stood there looking confused.

Kanda, who had just settled in after his mission with Mei, hurried outside, his sword drawn and ready to kill.

"WAIT! YOU GOT THE WRONG GUY!" the boy shrieked raising his left arm up.

As he did, it transformed into a large claw like weapon to block the oncoming sword.

Mugen simply cut into it wioth ease, "Transform already akuma!"

* * *

After her shower, Mei had joined Koumui and the others in the monitoring room, "Huh? What's up?"

"An akuma trying to get in," 64 replied looking at the middle sibbling.

Mei stared for a moment, then pointed at a strange gold bat like think hovering by the boy, "What's that?"

Koumui looked then got onto the PA, "Kanda, please stop."

Kanda stopped with his sword a hair away from the boys face, "What the hell Koumui!"

"This boy may be who he claims to be...REEVER! GO TO MY DESK AND LOOK FOR THIS LETTER!"

As Reever grudgingly went over everyone glared at Koumui and Linalee spoke up, "Nee-saaaan..."

"On second thought I'll help you," the director called out hurrying over.

After a bit of searching, the letter was found, "Okay Kanda, he's clear. The letter from Cross is right here."

* * *

After much aggravation and missunderstanding, the boy was allowed in.

"Sorry about Kanda, he just got back from a mission with another one of our new recruits," Linalee explained leading him through the HQ.

Mei sighed and was carrying a coffee pot towards the monitoring room, "Oh, Lin-Chan. Who's this?"

"This is Allen Walker. He's a new exorcist."

Allen smiled and held his right hand out, "Nice to meet you."

Mei nodded and shook his hand, "You as well. I'm Mei Lee."

Allen paused, then looked at Linalee, "Is she..."

"Yes, this is my older sister and Koumui's younger sister," the younger sibling replied still smiling.

"I gotta take this to nee sama. See ya later," Mei replied as she started to leave, "Nice ta meet ya Allen."

Upon arrival in the monitor room, Mei wasn't very surprised to see her brother asleep at his desk while everyone else was doing HIS work, "Here guys. Hot and fresh."

Johnny was the first one over, "Thank you so much Mei-chan!"

Reever nodded and walked over, "Koumui decided to take a nap. Thanks for the coffee."

Mei nodded and looked at her brother, then got a cruel idea, "Anyone gotta sharpie?"

* * *

About an hour later a scream of agony was heard from Koumui.

Despite his obvious lack of humor, everyone else thought he looked cute as a rabbit.

"Fine! Be that way!" koumui snapped leaving to tend to Allen's innocence.

Mei smirked and made a victory sighed, "Score one for the team."

* * *

Writers block! Dun Kill meh!

To be continued...


	11. Coffee

After the agonizing screams from Allen's 'check up' had ceased, the researchers began to bet on if he'd survive the shock of seeing Hevlaska right after.

"He'll be fine guys…" Mei replied as she helped Johnny try and sort out a giant stack of papers.

"How can you be so sure?" Johnny asked getting in close to Mei, "You gotta crush on him or something?"

"What! NO!" Mei cried shoving him back, "No…there was something though…they way he carries himself…and the look in his eyes…he's seen something that trumatized him for life…"

Everyone listened intently before Mei realized she was being crowded by all the guys, "Ummm…have you ever heard of personal space?"

The tone in her voice sent everyone skittering back and getting to work.

"Sorry. I'll be right back," the blue haired exorcist said standing up and grabbing the empty coffee pot, "Anyone want more?"

She was answered by a collective enthusiastic 'YES!'

"Alright. I'll be back," Mei said heading towards the caffeteria.

On her way, she ran into Kanda. "What the hell do you want?" he snapped glaring her down.

"Piss off pretty boy. I have enough of a head ache as it is," she hissed glaring right back at him.

"It's your own fault for being such an idiot."

"So is it my fault you look like a transvestite?"

As the two began to insult and shout at one another, Allen and Linallee happened to walk by.

Linalee glared at Kanda and whacked him with her clipboard again, "Stop it Kanda! I mean it!"

Mei simply sighed and hurried to get more coffee.

* * *

To be continued...


	12. My Burden To Bear

On her way back to the office, Mei saw Kanda and Allen leaving the building, "Where are they going?"

"They're going after a lead," Koumui explained walking over to her, "Wanna go with?"

"No. If I have to spend one more second with that gender confused ass I'm going to kill him," his younger sister snapped sinisterly as she stormed off towards the office.

"Just asking…jeez," the director muttered taking a drink of his own coffee.

After about 15 minutes, Mei returned to the file room with fresh coffee, "It's ready!"

They swarmed her, praising her and thanking her.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Mei asked once everyone had a cup and had let her sit down.

Reever looked over and nodded, "What's on your mind?"

There was a pause as Mei looked at the floor, "The akuma…what happens after we…release them?"

The group all looked surprised, forgeting for a moment that she was still new.

Johnny spoke up after a bit, "We're not sure. I think their souls are released and sent to the next world."

"I see…thanks," Mei replied standing up and leaving the room.

The others couldn't see it but she was on the verge of tears.

It wasn't until Mei reached the roof and was alone did she allow herself to cry.

The thought of Rosa's soul suffering because of her own stupidity, or the idea of her soul being stuck in limbo terrified the young woman.

"You okay?" Mei heard Linallee behind her and held back a sob, "I'm fine nee-chan. Why?"

Linallee walked over and touched her sisters shoulder gently, "You can come to us for help you know. That's what Koumui and I are here for."

Mei paused then looked her sister in the eye.

To her surprise, Linallee wasn't much shorter than her, maybe two inches at the most.

She then spoke, "I've caused you and nee-san enough grief as is."

With that she left, afraid if she said too much Linallee would want to share her mistakes, but that was the last thing Mei wanted.

* * *

To be continued again! Muahahahahaha!


	13. Trust

Linalee wanted to follow her, but went to find Koumui instead.

As usual her brother was sound asleep under his paperwork.

She tried shaking him, coxing him and resorted to a slap in the face.

The director awoke with a start, "Linalee! What was that for!"

"I need to talk to you nee-sama," she replied sounding upset.

Koumui watched her and sighed, "What's wrong? Are you not sleeping or something?"

"It's not me…It's Mei."

This surprised the elder of the Lee's, then motioned for Linalee to have a seat across from him, "What happened?"

"That's the problem. I don't know. She won't tell me anything," Linalee replied trying not to cry, "Did I upset her? Did I do something to offend her?"

"I don't think that's it. You see sis," Koumui said resting his chin on his folded hands, "Mei blamed herself when you were taken to the Order all those years ago. I think she's afraid of hurting you, or causing something that'll split us up again."

Hearing this, Linalee saw his reasoning, but didn't seem relieved. Instead, she grew quieter, "She blamed herself for that?"

Koumui reached across his desk and touched her shoulder, "You have to understand. Mei and I fought the day before you left. That fight, I think it was over a curfew or something strange, but anyway…what was I saying? Oh yeah! After the fight, Mei left and thought you went with the Order because she ran off. It didn't help that I left a few years later, but Mei never understood really. She thought you and I left her because of the arguments we had and such. So I think, at least from how she's been acting, that all she wants is for us to see the good. For her to show or tell us that something is wrong perhaps just makes her think we'll turn away from her. Understand?"

What hurt was the she DID understand, but she wanted her sister to be open with them, to be able to vent if she needed.

She just nodded and stood up, "Alright. I better get back to work."

Just as she reached the door Koumui sighed, "Don't blame yourself sis, or anyone. Mei needs to relearn to trust others again."

Linalee said nothing and left.

Meanwhile, Mei was in the training room, slashing at hacking away at the targets set up there. Her right arm was once again covered in the red gem like substance. As she cut away at them though, she seemed to grow more irate. Not at the targets, not at the akuma menace, but with herself. She paused after an hour and sat on one of the nearby benches. She didn't reach for her water, or check her innocence, she just sat there, staring into the crimson reflection she saw in her blade.

"Why'd I put them through that?" she muttered before uninvocating and standing up to leave.

After she left the room, she saw Johnny walking by and forced a smile, "Hey. What's up?"

"Koumui's looking for you. He wants you and Allen to head to the meeting room," the lab tech replied as he shifted his glasses.

"He say why?" Mei asked crossing her arms.

"No. But you'd better hurry. Allen's already almost there."

Mei thanked him and hurried off to the meeting room.

Upon arriving, she saw the new guy, Allen, standing in front of Koumui.

Her older brother smiled and beckoned her over, "Mei, I need you and Allen on a mission."

"Really?" she asked looking surprised, "Didn't he just get back?"

"Yeah, but he's the only one I think can handle this mission with you. Kanda's in the infirmary."

Secretly Mei cheered at the thought of Kanda being incapacitated, but remained serious, "So when do we leave?"

"Now. Your train leaves in 20 minutes."

Both Allen and Mei seemed shocked and quickly ran from his office.

"By the way,." Allen said as he ran, "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Mei asked running alongside him, her ponytail flapping behind her.

"Koumui was talking about more experiments on my innocence just before you walked in!" the silver haired boy replied rounding the corner and skidding a bit, "If you hadn't shown up, he might've gone through with it!"

"Well in that case your welcome!" Mei said as they entered the train tunnels.

As they got close, the train started pulling away.

Mei swore under her breath, grabbed Allen's collar and jumped, her hand just barely making it to the back rails.

She held on firmly as she tossed him onto the platform and hoisted herself up.

"I coulda made it," Allen said still recovering fro the shock.

"Sorry…" Mei said, breathing rather heavilly, "Desperation…overcame me…"

"You okay?" he asked holding her shoulder.

Mei nodded before passing out against him.

"What the hell! Are you sure! Let's get you inside!" Allen cried hoisting her up and draggin her inside.

* * *

Yes...to be continued...


	14. Vampires?

The conductor was surprised to see them, but the young boy showed him his cross and they were lead to first class.

Mei woke up about half an hour later and looked around, "Ummm…what happened?"

"You passed out after we caught the train," Allen explained looking up from his book.

"Oh," she replied blushing a bit, "Sorry…"

"Don't be. I was glad to help ya out," the silver haired kid said as his golem landed on his head.

"Sooo…what's that?" Mei asked pointing at the flying ball.

"This is Timcampy, he was my masters golem."

"Oh," she replied smiling, "It's cute."

As the two talked and joked, they noticed the train stopping.

Mei looked out the window and then glanced at Allen," Did nee-sama say where the stop is?"

"We get off here first. The next train'll take us to our stop," Allen said standing up and opening the door.

Mei shrugged and followed Allen off the train.

The train station was pretty deserted and dark.

The only road was a dirt one leading into the dark dank forest surrounding the area.

"Is it just me or does it feel like we're being watched," Allen muttered glancing around.

Mei simply nodded and looked at something in the trees, "Allen…something IS watching us."

Both exorcists watched as an elderly man walked over.

The man looked over them and smiled, "Are you exorcists?"

"Huh? Umm…yeah," Mei replied looking a bit confused.

The man immediately smiled at them and grabbed Allen.

Before Mei could react to help, she too was grabbed from behind.

They didn't have a chance to find out what was going on before they were dragged away.

"MY GOOD TONWFOLK! I BRING OUR SALVATION!" the man cried as he burst into a local inn filled with cowering townsfolk.

Mei and Allen were tied down to chairs and set in the middle of the room. "Sooo why are we here?"

Allen asked looking confused.

"We need you to kill a vampire for us!" the townsfolk cried in unison.

Allen seemed a bit surprised, but Mei just groaned in frustration, "I think you guys need to lay off the horror stories for a while."

"No! Hear us out! There is a vampire living nearby by the name of Arystar Krory III. He's killed 10 of our villagers already and we think he's going to strike again tonight," the mayor explained frantically.

"Wow. Seems like a pretty dark guy."

Mei and Allen turned to see a red headed boy sitting in a barrel looking bored.

This caused the entire room to freak out.

"Who are you and when did you get here!" Allen cried.

Before the boy could reply, the villagers noticed the boy was wearing the Black Orders Cross and tied him up alongside the other two.

"I see why these guys have you irritated."

"We never did catch your name," Mei muttered leaning over in his ear.

"Ravi. I'm a bookman," he replied back before the townsfolk started talking again.

"We're hiring you to go and kill the vampire!"

The trio looked at the villagers but realized they didn't have much choice in the matter.

* * *

To be continued...


	15. Lamentatio Angelus

"I understand escorting us up there…" Mei muttered as they walked, her hair mussed up a bit from when they were grabbed at the station, "But did you have to tie us up?"

"Yeah, we can't exactly fight like this," Ravi chimed in trying to shift his arms a bit.

"Sorry…we just don't want you running off at the sight of this monster," the mayor said as they came to a clearing, "There…that's Krory Castle. Inside is where Arystar lives and keeps his victims."

"I see…not bad. This guys got some pretty good taste," the dark haired exorcist said as she placed her arms behind her head.

The villagers all cried out in surprise and fear to see Mei's bonds torn up on the ground, "HOW DID YOU GET OUT!"

"My anti-akuma weapon…How else?"

Ignoring their shock, Mei proceeded to untie Ravi and Allen, "Now then…let's go meet this big bad vampire…"

The trio didn't have to wait long.

From the shadows of the old castle, a figure darted out towards them and latched its teeth upon the neck of a villager named Franz.

Mei hesitated once she saw what they were up against.

The man stood around six foot, he had short dark hair and a long white streak that came down in his face.

"BIG HAMMER LITTLE HAMMER GROW GROW GROW!"

Hearing Ravi, Mei snapped out of her daze and held her arm out in front of her, "Lamentatio Angelus!"

She had no idea what she had said, but Mei heard her innocence mention it to her as she prepared to fight.

As Mei cried it out, her arms coated themselves in crystal and two average sized angel wings grew from her back.

Since they were busy fighting, Mei didn't think twice before lashing out at the strangely attractive vampire.

Krory, Franz still firmly in his jaws, leapt back, dodging her attacks with ease.

Allen took his turn and fired shot aft shot at Krory trying not to hit his victim.

After a couple minutes of this, Krory vanished with the villager back into the depths of his home.

"That was really creepy…" Allen muttered uninvocating his innocence.

"Yeah. Guess we'll have our hands full," Ravi replied shrinking his hammer and placing it into his holster once more, "Oh and Mei…why didn't you tell us your innocence had a name?"

Mei looked confused before she glanced over her shoulder and saw one of her wings before it dissolved, "I didn't know it had a name…I thought it was just innocence."

"Anyway…we need to try and save Franz from Krory," Allen said heading for the castle.

Mei and Ravi simply nodded and followed him.

As they walked, Mei couldn't help but think on Arystar.

His eyes…they weren't those of a killers…they looked scared if anything, she thought as they walked.

* * *

To be continued...


	16. Into The Belly Of The Beast

"If it wasn't so creepy, I'd say the place looked beautiful," Mei muttered looking at the exquisite stone work that was the Krory Estate.

"You're kinda creepy you know that?" Ravi asked making sure to stand away from Allen.

Meanwhile, Allen just glared angrily at his "friend", "What is your problem Ravi?"

"Y-You..." Ravi hesitated and stepped a little further away, "You were bitten by Arystar Krory!"

Mei heard this and smacked Ravi upside the head, rather hard, "Will you shut the hell up! I swear, I'm the manliest one here and I'm a woman fro crying out loud."

Allen and Ravi just kinda stared at the middle Lee sibling, shocked out of their minds, she was nothing like her little sister OR her older brother.

As Mei got up to the door, she reached up to open it only to be stopped by Ravi, "What is it now?"

"Are you sure we should go in the front door? Won't he be expecting that?" the red head said chuckling nervously.

"Ravi," she said very quietly, "Let go of my arm..."

"You may wanna listen to her Ravi," Allen said walking over to the door, "I've seen what she's done to Koumui."

Once Ravi let go, Mei opened the door and walked right in, not caring if the two boys were going to follow or not.

Both Allen and Ravi watched her disappear into the shadows of Krory castle.

Allen finally spoke up, "If we don't follow her...Koumui will kill us, you know that right?"

Ravi nodded hesitantly, "I know. You first."

The two boys hesitated a minute before Ravi shoved Allen inside.

"GAH!" Allen cried out as he tried to catch himself from falling, only to face plant onto the stone floor, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

Meanwhile, up ahead, Mei had already found her way into what seemed to be a library, "Huh? Guess he's got a lot of spare time on his hands...OH!"

Stopping at a particular shelf, Mei pulled an older volume out and looked at the cover, "Is this...it is! It's one of the original copies of Dante's Inferno! This is a true work of art!"

As she gawked over the book, Mei seemed not to notice someone else entering the library.

"What are you doing here?"

The woman was blond wearing a semi tattered purple outfit and had a look of concern and irritation on her face.

When Mei didn't answer, the woman walked over and forcefully turned her around, "I am talking to you! You are trespassing on Master Krory's property!"

Mei had dropped the book and as she turned, brought her foot up to the woman's face, "I heard ya the first time!"

The woman leapt back and scoffed, "How dare you! What are you doing here!"

"I'm just an exorcist doing my job. I could ask you the same thing..." Mei muttered, "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you? You may not live long enough to remember it."

"I was just trying to be civil," Mei said shrugging, "Just to extend the hand of courtesy, I'm Mei."

"I guess I have no choice then," she muttered placing her hands on her hips, "Eliade. Now die!"

As Eliade went in to attack, Mei covered her arms innocence and blocked the woman's attack, "Aren't you impatient?" Mei said with a smirk.

Just a she manage to push Eliade back, two high pitched male screams were heard echoing through the castle.

* * *

To be continued...


	17. The Truth

"I swear those two are going to get themselves killed," Mei muttered, unintentionally taking her focus off of Eliade.

The blond woman took this chance to attack and threw Mei hard into the wall, knocking the exorcist out cold  
-

"Owww..."

Mei woke up about twenty minutes later, her head pounding, barely able to stand.

"Who are you?"

Looking up, she saw a dark figure standing over her.

"I'll only ask you one more time, who are you?"

Mei managed to stand up and recognized the man as the vampire from earlier, "Y-you're Krory..right?"

Krory looked at her, a little concerned that she was injured and gently grabbed her arm, "You're one of those exorcists aren't you?"

Mei hesitated when he grabbed her and nodded, "Yeah...We just came to talk to you..."

"I don't think that's all...I know you attacked Eliade...but I refuse to attack a woman. Leave while you still have your life," the older man explained making sure she could stand and walk on her own.

"No offense...but that woman isn't what she appears to be," Mei said standing up straight as she looked Krory in the eye.

Krory heard this and turned away, "I will overlook that comment. Leave now..."

Just as Mei was about to say something, Krory vanished, "Dammit...I have to find Allen and Ravi."

"You're not human, are you?" Allen asked staring at Eliade, his cursed eye glowing red, "Tell me...Why is an akuma like you hiding their true form!"

Ravi was out cold, lying amongst the rubble outside.

"No, I'm not human. But my love for Arystar is. I will not let you take him from me!" Eliade screeched attacking the white haired boy, her right arm turning into a giant claw.

As the two fought, Mei managed to make her wayto the main hall just as she saw Allen get thrown into the stone wall, leaving a rather large dent.

"Guess they already know then," she muttered, invocating her innocence into a blade on her right arm.

Just before she could attack, Krory appeared and looked rather pissed off.

"Eliade...what is the meaning of this?"

Eliade, looked at Krory and scoffed, "Has it taken you this long to realize I'm not human? What an idiot..."

* * *

To be continued...


	18. Time To Move On

Meanwhile, Allen managed to make his way over to Eliade and knock her back, allowing Krory to regain himself, "You alright?"

The shaken man nodded and cast a dark and hateful glare at the woman who had been decieving him all these years, "Yeah. You three stay back...I'll handle Eliade..."

"Mei...Mei!"

The blue haired girl slowly came to and saw Ravi kneeling over her, "Ravi...Oww...what's going on?"

"Krory's fighting Eliade," the red-head explained helping her up, "You alright? Looks like your innocence is damaged."

Mei quickly looked at the gem on her chest and noticed there was a small crack in it, "Dammit, now nee-san is going to lecture me forever...Oh well. Let's finish what we came here to do."

Ravi watched as the Lee girl forced herself to re-enter the fight, then grabbed her by the arm.

"What are you doing?" Mei asked looking at the Bookman apprentice, "We need to help Krory!"

"You're not going to be able to help anyone like this. Eliade did a number on you, plus your innocence is damaged which means using it now could trigger some VERY unwanted effects," Ravi said actually picking her up bridal style and carrying her to the main room again.

"I'm only going to tell you this once...Put..me...the...hell...down," she hissed angrily resisting the urge to beat his face in.

"Ok! Ok, I'm sorry. I was just thinking," he said putting her down on her feet once the got to the main area, "That Koumui would appreciate you returning in one piece."

"Oh well...If-Krory!" Mei turned just in time to see the vampire get hit by one of Eliade's purple bubbles and the water get sucked out his body.

"Krory..." Eliade said quietly as she turned back into her human form again, "You damned fool..."

Mei was about to run over but both Ravi and Allen stopped her this time.

As Eliade proceeded to embrace Krory's dried lifeless remains, the entire room received a shock.

Krory's body had seemed to act of its own accord and drove his teeth into Eliade's throat, her blood beginning to replenish his body.

Mei watched this, her stomach turning slightly at the thought of how much rehydrating his body must hurt.

Outside, Mei, Ravi, and Allen waited for Krory who had agreed to travel with them.

"Okay, so from now on guys...No more wussing out due to superstition," Mei said sounding dead serious, "Got it?"

Ravi chuckled and put his hands behind his head, "I wasn't freaked out for one minute, what about you Allen?"

Allen laughed a bit as well and nodded, "Same here...after all, vampires don't exist."

Mei watched tese two converse, a look of utter disbelief and irritation on her face, "You have got to be kidding. I will never understand guys."

"Alright, I'm ready," Krory said walking out of the castle gate, "Shall we?"

"Do you have everything? What about your plants?" Mei asked smiling sweetly.

"Yes. I'm leaving that life here and starting fresh," he said smiling as well.

"Really?" Ravi asked.

Before he could say anything else, the three exorcists got to witness the explosion that would forever bury the Krory estate.

"You sure that was a good idea!?" Allen asked watching the flames envelop the remains.

"I need to leave behind everything," Kyrory explained starting towards the train station.

Upon arriving in the village, the group soon learned they were no longer welcome among the villagers.

The Mayor stepped forward and looked angrilly at them, "Why does Krory still live!"

"He wasn't the demon you made him out to be. He was destroying akuma and keeping you alive," Mei explained stepping forward.

Ravi nodded as Allen stepped forward, "But the main source of the problem has been taken care of."

Mei was about to add something else when she felt something sharp hit her in the head.

Looking down, she noticed it was a small rock, "I see...Allen..."

"Yeah. We should leave now," Allen said looking at Krory, "Let's go home, Krory."

As they walked, Ravi glanced at Mei, "Want me to look at that when we get to the train. That rock left a pretty deep gash."

The young woman hadn't even noticed until she reached up and touched were the rock had hit, lo and behold she was bleeding.

Krory looked ashamed and guilty as they walked, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Mei asked wiping the blood from her forehead onto her sleeve, "Oh, ny the way Ravi, where's Bookman?"

"He's waiting at the station for us," the kid explained as they walked.

"Shouldn't I be apologizing? I'm the reason they attacked you," he said handing her his kerchief.

"We're used to it. This happens alot," Allen explained as they reached the station.

Seeing Bookman there, Ravi laughed and waved to him, "Old man panda! Glad to see you're in one piece!"

Before he could react though, Ravi received a face full of Bookman's boot, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD!"

Ignoring those two, Mei and Allen lead Krory onto the train and found their compartment.

Once Bookman and Ravi joined them, Allen looked at Krory, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I just need some time to adjust," he said looking out the window.

"Ravi tells me a villager attacked you Mei," Bookman said looking at the young woman.

"Hm? Yeah, it's nothing," she said wiping more of the blood away with Krory's kerchief.

"It's bleeding rather profusely. Let me take a look at it," he said pulling what seemed to be a rolled up first aid kit from his sleeve.

Considering she would be spending ALOT of time with him on this train ride, Mei gave in, "Alright..."

The old man nodded and led Mei to one of the other compartments so he would have room to work if the cut was more serious than it appeared to be.

"Bookman..." Mei said as he took an acupuncture needle out and began gently prodding around the cut which was about an inch long, "What do you know about crystal type innocence?"

Bookman looked at her, then went back to what he was doing, "Not much is known about crystal type. It's extremely rare. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. I'm still getting used to it I guess," she lied with a smile.

"It seems you'll be fine. We just need to stop the bleeding," Bookman said taking out a small bandage and some medical tape, "And I know that there is something else. What happened at the castle?"

Mei felt him applying the bandage and sighed, "The akuma there...she damaged my innocence."

After he bandaged it, Bookman looked her in the eye, "May I see it?"

Feeling a bit awkward, Mei hesitated, but nodded and unzipped her coat just enough to reveal the gem embedded in her flesh.

What surprised her was that the crack had gotten a bit bigger, but not by much.

"I see. This doesn't look good. We bookmen know nothing of the healing abilities or limitations of crystal type innocence. Until we get back to headquarters you shouldn't invocate it at all. Not even if akuma are present," Bookman said looking concerned.

Hearing this, Mei felt a twinge of irritation and fear in the back of her mind, "What? You know that I can't do that."

"It isn't a matter of pride. It could mean your life. Now," he said rolling the first aid kit back up, "Take it easy and rest. We'll reach our destination by tomorrow."

"Alright," she said leaving to walk around.

* * *

To be continued...


	19. Awkward?

"So Krory? When was the last time you got out?" Ravi asked looking curiously at the newest exorcist.

"Hm? Never," he said nonchalantly.

Both Allen and Ravi looked shocked to hear this, "You're kidding. You've never left there?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mei had made her way to one of the empty train cars and pulled a pack of smokes out of her pocket.

After she lit one up, Ravi happened to walk in, "Those things'll kill ya you know."

"If this job doesn't kill me, I don't think anything will," the blue haired woman said as she stood by the open window.

"Eh, fair enough. What if Koumui found out though?"

Mei hesitated, then chuckled a bit, "Honestly, if he had his way, I would never leave my room."

"Is he really that bad?"

The look on her face said it all.

"Sooo..." Mei muttered after a few moments of awkward silence, "How's Krory adapting?"

"Not sure yet. He looks a lot like a kid discovering a puppy for the first time," the red head said chuckling a bit.

"I see. Looks like we're coming up to the station," Mei said throwing the last of her smoke out the window.

"Yeah. Let-"

"Guys! Have you seen Krory?" Allen cried bursting into the train car looking panicked.

"No. But we're on a train. He couldn't have gone far," Ravi said standing up and looking around, "Allen, how about you and I check that end, Mei you head to the other end."

Mei nodded and sighed, "We'd better hurry before he gets into trouble."

With that, the trio split up to find their lost comrade.

* * *

"There's only a few places he could have gone...and he's nowhere to be found..." the blue haired woman muttered as she reached the final car before the engine room, "Maybe the others found him."

Quickly, Mei made her way to the other end of the train where she heard voices coming from the back room.

Without hesitating, she opened the door, "Allen, did you guys...find...him..."

Much to her surprise, Krory was sitting there in nothing but his boxers next to Allen who was sitting across from three men also in their underwear.

Allen looked back as if nothing was wrong, "Oh, hey Mei. We'll be done here soon."

The young woman just nodded and closed the door, hoping to hide the flaming red blush that had adorned the entirety of her face.

_I hope he doesn't think of me as a perv...no, it was an accident...that's all...you totally didn't mean to see his amazing pale and sexy body, _ she thought turning away and hurrying to claim their bags, her face getting redder with each passing second.

* * *

To be continued...


	20. Into The Shadows

Outside, Allen, Ravi, Mei and Krory had gathered outside where Allen was holding three suitcases while the men they belonged to leaned out the window.

"This is what happens when you gamble. But, I don't need your clothes so here," Allen said handing the suitcases up towards the group.

The one that seemed to be the head of the group had black curly hair and thick glasses, smiled and shook his head, "Thanks kid, but we don't need your sympathy."

Mei chuckled and crossed her arms, "That so? So why did you grab your bags so quickly?"

Everyone then looked at them and saw the group had wasted no time in accepting their clothes.

"By the way, the names Allen."

The leader smirked and handed him a pack of cards, "Tykki. See ya around kid."

As the others talked though, Mei watched the leader, there was something about him that seemed real familiar.

"Shouldn't we move on?" Ravi asked as the train began pulling away.

"Hm? Oh yeah...wait...Where's Krory?" Mei asked looking around, "He was here a moment ago..."

Both Ravi and Allen let out an exasperated sigh, "You're kidding."

"I will take Mei back to HQ. You two find Krory," Bookman said appearing beside the group.

Mei let out a surprised yelp at the old man's appearance.

Ravi chuckled and looked at Mei, "Yeah, Old Man Panda does that. You get used to-GAK!"

Bookman had grown frustrated and gave Ravi a flying to the face, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD!"

* * *

"Ok. Let's see what kind of jobs this place has in store for us," one of the trio said as Tykki looked around.

As they talked, a pay phone went off and Tykki picked it up without hesitating, "Tykki speaking."

The others watched, a child running over and joining them, a dust mask over his mouth and his face looking a bit sickly.

"Sorry guys, you're on your own," the dark haired man said chuckling to himself.

"Really, Tykki? Another one of your top secret jobs?" the bald man in the group said sounding irritated.

"No worries. I'll catch up with ya guys later," he explained before looking at the kid, "Oh yeah...I have something for you."

The little boys dull eyes lit up as Tykki handed him an ornate silver button, "Thanks Tykki!"

Without anymore goodbyes, Tykki ran off.

He stopped in a dark underpass and chuckled, "Couldn't this have waited a little longer?"

"No. You need to find General Yeager," a dark voice said as a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows, "First we're going to have a nice family dinner. Clean yourself up."

Tykki chuckled and caught the top hat that had been tossed towards him, "Of course Lord Millennium."

After removing his glasses and pushing his hair back, Tykki's skin turned from white to a dark grey and his outfit became a well pressed tuxedo.

"I do have one request though."

The Earl looked intrigued and sighed, "What is it?"

"The exorcist Mei Lee. She might remember me from my life with my false dead fiance, Rosa. I'd like to toy with her a while," Tykki explained with an evil dark and sadistic smile on his face.

"Of course. Anything to break their numbers," the Earl said sharing a laugh before leading Tykki away.

* * *

"Achoo!"

Mei let out a slight sneeze and looked out the window of the train she now rode with Bookman, "Strange, it's not very cold outside."

"There's an old wives tale saying a sneeze means someone is talking about you somewhere in the world," the old man said before allowing a silence to fall between them.

* * *

To Be Continued


End file.
